Day 33: (Exodus 7-8, Psalms 60-61, Romans 12)
One of the qualities that I notice about Pharaoh in the book of Exodus is how stubborn he is. The Bible goes as far as to say that his heart is hard. He is making choices that go against what God desires and continues to do so even though God displays His power.
Have you ever found yourself to be like Pharaoh at some point in your life? You are resisting and hold on to what God is asking you to let go of? For Pharaoh it was God’s people, but for us it may our talents, time, treasure, or perhaps a relationship or a dream.
In Pharoah’s situation, God began to make life uncomfortable for him so that he would choose to obey and let go. I have found that God will allow this happen in my life as well. When I refuse to obey Him in an area or when I want to hang on when He says let go, I find that He can allow life to get uncomfortable until I am ready to do things His way.
In Exodus 8, the Lord sends the plague of frogs on the Egyptians and Pharoah’s household to get Pharaoh to soften his heart, recognize God’s power, and submit to God’s plan. And it seems to work. In verse 8, Pharaoh calls Moses in and asks him to pray so that God will take the frogs away. In return, he will let the people go.
But that doesn’t happen….
Exodus 8:15 (NLT) says, “But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.”
When relief came, Pharaoh was back to his old tricks again. He did not remember the pain of his earlier choices and fell back into his old patterns. Later, he would reap great consequences as a result of those choices.
If we are wise, we will learn a lesson from Pharaoh. When the pain of resisting God comes, remember it and allow the change it causes to become permanent. When relief comes, don’t revert back to old patterns of living. If you do, there could be even greater consequences.